PARIS, July 15. /Dunyo IA/. Denmark, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Ukraine, France, Sweden and the United Kingdom have agreed to establish a coalition on missile defence, reports Dunyo IA correspondent, citing a statement from the Élysée Palace.

According to a joint declaration, the participants intend to create an integrated European missile defence architecture aimed at deterring and countering future missile threats.

The project will be implemented through the consolidation of the participating countries’ defence-industrial capabilities, joint research, technological cooperation and the exchange of operational experience.

“By bringing together our defence industrial base, our research, and our operational experience, we aim to build a shared antiballistic missile capacity for Europe,” the statement said.

The Élysée Palace emphasized that the new system will be “strictly defensive in nature” and will complement existing and planned missile defense systems.

The participants said the creation of the coalition was driven by the growing threat of ballistic missile use in Europe. At the same time, they stressed that the system is not directed against any particular state.

“We are doing this not against any people, but in defence of our own,” the document said, adding that Ukraine’s experience would be used in developing the new missile defence architecture.

Earlier, Ukraine and the European Union officially opened another negotiation cluster in the process of Ukraine’s accession to the bloc. According to EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, the opening of the cluster carries symbolic significance as it covers foreign policy, security and defence – areas where Ukraine has already become an important partner of the EU.